Eternal Embrace

by Billi Jean

  “Jaxon!” Joey’s desperate call sounded far away.

  “Shit, grab him, grab him,” Viktor yelled.

  Why yell? I’m right here.

  The world went blank, dark and lifeless except for Joey’s grip on his arm.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Joey, baby, wake up. Joey, you gotta wake up.” Jax’s voice sounded far off, or not far off, but echoing as if they were in a vast cave or amphitheatre. Or her ears were full of cotton. She hurt. Worse, she was certain Jaxon fought off pain as well. The timbre of his voice, the way he spoke so breathlessly, drove a sharp spike of fear through her, much more than waking shivering with cold from sleeping on a dirt floor.

  “Oh, man, my head,” she gasped, opening her eyes to see Jaxon with thick chains pinning his arms to a wall. They looked like they’d landed in a cell from one of those Underworld horror movies. Bits of leaves and branches littered the place and a chilly dampness to the air made her think they were underground. There wasn’t a window, but through the rusted bars of the cell, she could see what she thought might be torches flickering farther down from them.

  Careful of all the pain, she got shakily to her knees. “Oh, God, Jaxon, where are we?” she whispered, holding her ribs with one arm, and keeping herself upright with her other hand on the damp ground.

  “Fuck,” Jaxon said, with more relief in his voice than she wanted to hear. He sounded freaked. If he was, than she sure the heck should be. He gave an impatient jerk of his head to get the hair off his face and grimaced. “It’s okay, baby, just tell me if you’re hurt.”

  “No, no, not too much, just…” She broke off and with more effort than she liked, she pushed herself up and closed the distance between them. Jaxon looked so serious she touched his face, needing to feel a connection to him, no matter how small.

  “Don’t panic, Joey. It’s okay,” he said, dipping his head at the same time to give her face a rub with his.

  “I’m trying not to.” She glanced away from him long enough to follow the line of metal pinning him down. “Why are you chained? Why can’t you simply, you know, break away?” she asked, already sensing if he could have, he would have. The thought drove her panic one notch higher.

  “Listen, Joey, just listen, baby, I can’t shift. Something is blocking me,” he said, flexing his muscles in an attempt to break the metal. “And I can’t break free.”

  “What are we going to do? How can I get you out of this?” She tugged at the bolts that held the chains through a huge metal loop attached right to the wall. Those were not coming off easily. Jaxon exhaled against her face then rubbed his head against hers again.

  “I need you to listen to me.” He grabbed her arm and shook her or tried to. The bands on his wrists only gave him marginal freedom to move so he ended up shaking himself more than her. She spotted blood dripping down his forearm and realised he must have fought to break free for some time now.

  “Don’t, oh, Jaxon, don’t do that. What are we going to do?” she managed. Panic squeezed her heart. “Jax—”

  He shook his head hard, and she sucked in a breath at the blood oozing from his temple into his dark sideburn. “No, don’t panic, baby, just shift, shift home.”

  “What? And leave you? ”

  “Yes. Absolutely. Go. I can’t, but you can. Do it. Now.”

  She stared at him. Her mind moved at a snail’s pace then seemed to shove the information that he wanted her to leave him, here, bound and in danger, while she escaped without him. His blue eyes were so intense she thought they looked black in the meagre light. She was surprised he wasn’t breaking the chains holding him, because his muscles were tight and hard with the strain he put on them. Blood oozed down his arm, dripping from his elbow onto the floor.

  He wanted her to leave him.

  The clarity of the thought burst through her and anger rushed her system, erasing everything else.

  “You have got to be nuts. I’m not leaving you,” she said then stepped back and stabbed a finger in his chest. “You’re the person that leaves, I’m not. Now, why can’t you get free?”

  He jerked his head as if she’d slapped him. “Joey, Christ, baby—”

  “No, don’t. Just talk to me. Why can’t you get free?”

  She gave him credit for bringing his temper to a manageable level before he opened his mouth again, but took a few points off for how long it took. Finally, he ground out, “The chains, damn it! The fucking chains won’t let me, or…” He shook his head like a dog and even growled at her. “Damn it, if you would just do what I tell you and—”

  “How about this? I shift out of this and get you loose.”

  “Joey! Listen to me, there’s no time for this. You don’t have any idea—”

  “I will not leave you here, Jaxon. Don’t open your big mouth and say something that stupid again.”

  “Joey,” he tried again, looking so miserable and desperate she wanted to do anything to ease him—anything but leave him here.

  “Think. Why can’t you shift, but you think I can?” She scanned the room again, noticing that this wasn’t the only cell. Viktor stood watching them from behind another set of bars, free except for the cage he was in.

  “Viktor.”

  “It’s all right, pasha, do what your mate asks. Go, find Hunter and she will find us, you see?”

  She threw her hands up in frustration at the stupidity of men and started pacing. What was wrong with men? Did they both seriously think she’d leave them here?

  “Nuts, you’re both nuts. I don’t see how that’s the best solution—and save your breath, wolfman, I won’t. Think of something else, ’cause that’s lame. I mean, wolf out, or something.”

  “Joey! Damn it, you don’t get it. This is serious!” Jax growled, sounding more like a wolf than Viktor.

  “Jaxon. There has to be a way. Think! Use that brilliant mind of yours and think of something else, because that won’t work for me.” She tugged at the metal around his wrists, and frantically followed the chains to the bolts holding it to the wall. Think, think, think! “Jaxon, please, you’re not even trying!”

  He stared at her with such an anguished expression she almost caved, but she couldn’t. She wasn’t living through him not being there again. “I’m sorry, I can’t leave, don’t you see?” She tried not to cry, but fell into his chest, circled his strong waist and held on to him tightly.

  “You have mated her, correct?” she heard Viktor ask quietly.

  Jaxon shook his head, and she pulled back to look at him. His blue eyes turned darker, almost navy in colour and he seemed to come to some decision. “Do you want to be my mate? Bond with me?”

  The words settled over them uneasily and more tears rose to her eyes and eased down her cheeks. Did he want this? Was he simply saying it to free them? He looked so miserable, anxious and unhappy.

  Grimacing at her tears, he shook his head, frowning at her. “Please, no tears, Joey.”

  She wiped at them, but more fell.

  “Joey, this means that no matter where you are, I can find you, and no matter where I am, you’ll be able to do the same. It means we can mind speak and…it means, shit, it means you want me, only me,” he added with some heat, “for the rest of our lives. There’s no divorce if you learn something you don’t like, no separation, no—”

  “Okay.”

  He snapped his mouth shut and stared at her with an odd, almost vulnerable-looking expression.

  “That was the worst proposal in history and you say okay?” Viktor grumbled.

  Jaxon shot him a dirty look. “Shut—”

  “Jaxon, Viktor, don’t.” She swallowed her fear and insecurities and stared at Jaxon.

  She loved this man. No matter what happened in the next few hours or days, she didn’t want to go another second without telling him. He’d broken past her barriers and taken hold of her heart—something she never would have believed possible before she met him. He’d been such a smartass that first day, but gentle with
it, as if being such a big, tall guy he had to tame his wildness—for her. He was wicked, a bad boy, she knew even if he tried to hide it, and she wasn’t going to let this be their last day together.

  Looking at him, she let all her love fill her heart. “I love you, Jaxon. You’re a part of me and when you left, I…I felt torn in two, like I’d never be whole again. I…I never thought”—she choked on the tears clogging her throat and couldn’t continue, but Jaxon looked as miserable so she swallowed hard and managed—“I never thought I’d get another chance to be with you again. I’ll be damned if we are going to die like this, in some stupid spooky cell.”

  Jaxon closed his eyes tight and breathed deeply for several seconds before he looked at her again. There was something, love maybe, fear for sure and a determination she knew meant he was serious, in his blue eyes.

  “Darlin’, I will never deserve you, but I’ll always put you first, always. I can’t live without you as it is, once we’re bonded, we’ll never be able to part.” He swallowed audibly and whispered, “I’ll make this up to you, I promise. You deserve more, but—”

  “We don’t have time and you…we need to do something,” she guessed.

  “Share blood and vows,” he said, then lowered his head to say, “There should be more, soft, sweet lovemaking, wildcat, but I won’t chance you like that. Not here.”

  Her heart filled so full it hurt, but she swallowed painfully. He’d not said he loved her, but he had said he couldn’t live without her. She thought he did love her, only he didn’t know how to say it. She’d have to show him. She’d been a coward all her life, hiding herself from everyone until she met this man. Maybe he needed to find that courage.

  “Tell me what to say.”

  He nodded tightly. “If we do this, I’ll be able to mind speak with you, show you things, how to do things, but it will be permanent—”

  “Does that worry you? Because if it—”

  He cut her off with a kiss that left no doubt that she was the one he wanted. And how he wanted her. Just the brush of his lips on hers made her ache so badly, she wanted to make love to him right here and now, forget the cell, Viktor next door, everything.

  “The only thing worrying me is how much you’re going to need an ice pack when I’m done with you.”

  Her heart jumped. “Oh, you did not just say that,” she whispered.

  “Hurry, vampire, someone will come soon,” Victor called, breaking through the spell Jaxon wove around them. “Until this is over, I will go to my wolf, maybe then I will be of more use.”

  “You’ve already been of use to us, Lykae. We will not leave you down here,” Jaxon said then nodded to the man.

  As she watched, Viktor shimmered, glowed brightly, then when the light died, a grey and black massive wolf with a scar on his muzzle stood where Viktor had been. Around his neck though, she noticed the collar he’d had on remained. A silver glint of it shone as he sat and shook his head, trying to dislodge the metal. He growled and pawed at it, until with another shake of his head, he faced them again.

  “Oh,” Joey breathed and leaned into Jaxon.

  “Bite me, love, and I will drink from you as well, then we will exchange our bonding words. Can you do this? Drink from me?”

  She nodded. “Yes, I’ve wanted to,” she whispered, “dreamt of it.”

  He bent his head and took her lips in a hard, desperate kiss. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to hear that,” he murmured against her mouth. “I didn’t want to force you, Joey. I never will, but I wanted”—he paused to swallow heavily—“wanted you to want…me.”

  “I want you. I want you just like you are, a smartass, too-big-for-his-own-breeches man who needs me to knock him down a peg or two once in a while,” she added softly, rubbing her hands all over his warm chest and strong body.

  He grinned at her for that, and nipped at her shoulder. The chains holding him made loud sounds in the quiet of the cell.

  “I don’t hear anyone coming, do you?”

  “No, they stopped and the footsteps went back up.” He sucked on her shoulder, and a shiver of lust blossomed in her body. “Here, this will be where I drink from you today, but soon, I’ll show you how hot you can burn when I drink from between those silky legs.”

  “Oh.” Her silky legs went all weak. Jaxon had the nerve to laugh softly before he butted her head with his.

  “This is the vow. You’ll have to repeat it,” he said, so serious for once, butterflies winged to life in her stomach.

  “I want you as my bonded female.” He nudged her head and kissed her. “With this breath, with this body, with this heart, I freely bind myself to you for all time,” he whispered against her lips.

  A shiver shook her and her heart rate skyrocketed. She kissed him as he’d kissed her, so deeply their fangs clashed together. Taking a breath, she said, “I want you for my bonded male.”

  Jaxon jerked, his body going tighter against hers. Her body also tensed, as if the warmth spreading through her would somehow grow and her body prepared for something. “With this breath,” she whispered, and leaned into him more fully. “With this body, with this heart, I freely bind myself to you for all time.”

  As soon as the words left her mouth, she gasped in surprise. Thousands—no, millions—of threads suddenly wove them together, breaking open her mind and body to his with such force she nearly fell and only caught herself with her hold on him.

  Jaxon shuddered, groaning tightly and through the threads tying them as one, she heard him urge her to bite and drink. Without hesitation, she sank her fangs into his chest and drew from him. Hot, rich blood flooded her mouth, knocking her for a loop. He tasted like the hottest, most amazing liquor ever bottled, spicy, full-bodied and perfect. Power rushed along her muscles, strengthening to a degree that startled her.

  “Jaxon?”

  “Ah, wildcat, don’t worry, I’ve got you. You’re going to be stronger, strong enough to get through this now.”

  At the same time as his words floated through her mind, Jaxon’s bite sank into her, right where her neck met her shoulder. He drew blood and it was if, with that bite, he filled her with sensations and light. Tears rolled past her closed eyelids.

  “Joey, my love, I will be yours for eternity now.”

  “Oh, Jaxon, you do love me, don’t you?”

  She heard something like a mental growl, and his bite deepened, shocking her. She suddenly burst into a desperate climax.

  “There has never been anyone but you. Never before, no one after. I’ll be in love with you, wildcat, forever. Best not question that again, eh?”

  “Oh, Jaxon.”

  Slowly he eased from her, breathless and radiating happiness mixed with so much fear and anger she also withdrew her fangs and licked his chest, watching in amazement as his body tensed and the muscle healed.

  “You can heal with your mouth now, wildcat, but you’re also killing me.”

  “Oh, this is weird. Are you reading all my thoughts?”

  He laughed sharply and nipped at her ear. “No, but why would that be a problem? I want to see all those dirty little thoughts you have,” he teased, kissing her once more before turning completely serious.

  “Is this how I could sense your anger before?”

  He stilled and looked at her for a long moment with a thoughtful frown. “I have no idea,” he murmured. “Shit, I should have looked into that. You shouldn’t be vampire. I didn’t turn you. Those other vampires,” he growled the words, “they didn’t either. But I’ll not let you go—”

  “No, no you won’t. You’re stuck with me now.”

  His eyes rounded out. “Stuck? Fuck, I want you until I can’t breathe without you. I’m not stuck, brat, I’m hooked.” He caught her gaze and shifted his eyes to the cage doors. “Now, here’s what you’re going to do.”

  Her mind flooded with his directions and the skill to do what he wanted. “You want me to simply think about you without the chains and that will happen?”
>
  “It’s much like me taking our clothes off. Look in my mind, see what I can do and learn it. Quickly though.”

  “No one is coming, right?” she whispered.

  “Not yet, but soon they will.”

  She concentrated on him, finding it easy to slip into his thoughts. His mind was amazing. So quick and full of knowledge she had trouble not getting distracted. At first, she worried that she’d see something she didn’t want to know about, like him with another woman, but that fear slowly eased as he showed her the skills she needed. She still experienced glimpses of his memory, but she felt more at ease within minutes. Jaxon proved to be the honourable, fiercely loyal man she knew he was. He fought for what was right, alone most of the time, but in some of his memories she glimpsed other fierce, brave men.

  Gathering what she needed, she steadied her heartbeat and envisioned Jaxon, standing free of the chains. Nothing happened. She tried again with Jaxon’s silent encouragement. Then, with a frustrated growl, she imagined the chains at her feet so she could kick them. Instantly the chains were there, lying on the dirt floor and Jaxon was free, hugging her tightly.

  “How did you do that?” Jaxon demanded shaking her, then hugged her so close she thought he might leave bruises. “No time, no fucking time,” he whispered, dragging her with him to where Viktor stood, silently watching them in his wolf form. “Can you get him out? Imagine the door to his cell and ours open.”

  “You can’t?” she asked.

  “No, not yet. Something is still blocking me.”

  “Oh! Jaxon—”

  “No time, think on what you want to do and do it Joey.”

  She nodded and forced her mind to think on the closed iron and imagined the doors standing open. Both swung outward with a loud creaking sound.

  “Holy shit, I did it!”

  Jaxon tossed her his sexy grin. “You’re beautiful.”

  “I am, aren’t I?”